I've just listened to a dharma talk of my teacher. He used the term "mental proliferation" to describe busy mind, the opposite of quiet mind, where there is space to turn inward and to be more conscious of each moment. We don't actually see our busy mind unless we pause and sit in silence. Then we have the tools to notice our thoughts and reactions to those thoughts. So is it any wonder that mental proliferation leads to wrong speech? We become impulsive and unwise. We blurt out opinions and judgments galore. We are Donald Trumps. Oh, dear.
For some people it seems to be amusing to see such a messy mind. To others of us it is our worst nightmare. Our jaws are wired open and we can't shut up, and whatever fleeting thoughts we have are exposed to the world and come to represent us.
I've worked hard to have some silence in my daily life, and to not run away from thoughts, feelings and ideas that flit through. I'm human, and this is how we work. But I don't think of myself as defined by such thoughts. I know I am capable of deeper reflection and contemplation, and have inner resources to make my interactions non-harmful and kind and compassionate. With all the turbulent news and blasting of unconscious minds, our consciousness is more important than ever. We must clean out the house of our minds, to make space for what is truly important and true to us. The now popular tidying up book perhaps hints at a deeper need in all of us: the need to keep an uncluttered mind so that our love and compassion our at the forefront of our speech and action.
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